By James Dudko, Featured Columnist
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Manchester United fans shouldn't expect a quiet winter transfer window, despite the club spending big this summer. Manager Louis van Gaal will be armed with ample funds to spend in January, thanks to record revenue.
Goal.com reporter Wayne Veysey has stated Van Gaal won't be restrained in the market:
Louis van Gaal has been given the green light to carry on spending as Manchester United prepare to announce a record turnover of up to €535 million and a profit of around €51m when their latest set of financial results are released on Wednesday.The accounts for the year ending June 2014 do not take into account the club-record €75m signing of Angel di Maria or the late August captures of Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao on loan.But executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is set to tell investors in a conference call at 1pm that United's finances are so healthy that even a season without Champions League football will not curb their transfer spending.
This seemingly unstoppable spending is allowed thanks to extremely lucrative sponsorship deals. Veysey referenced United's agreements with Adidas and Chevrolet as the foundation of the club's fiscal power.
Those deals have helped create record annual revenue. The official Twitter feed of BBC Sport offers a more specific breakdown of the figures:
Goal.com's Staff followed with a statement from Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward discussing the fiscal results and the impact on the club:
We are very proud of the results achieved in fiscal year 2014 as we once again generated record revenues.
With Louis van Gaal at the helm as manager, and the recent signing of some of the world's leading players to further strengthen our squad, we are very excited about the future and believe it's the start of a new chapter in the club's history."Louis' footballing philosophy fits very well with Manchester United and he has an impressive track record of success throughout his career, winning league titles with every club he has managed.
Without pretending to be any sort of an authority on the numbers, the implication of the news is clear. Despite mountainous debt during most of the years the Glazers have owned United, the club has positioned itself to compete with the private fortunes available to both Manchester City and Chelsea.
The more immediate implication is that United are going to carry on spending to overhaul this squad. That process began in earnest this summer, but what does this news mean for Van Gaal's winter plans?
It as good as assures a renewed attempt to sign AS Roma holding midfielder Kevin Strootman. A £25 million January bid has recently been mooted by Daily Mirror reporter David McDonnell.
Van Gaal certainly now has the funds to make that idea a reality.Strootman is a natural fit for Van Gaal, who knows the player well from the Netherlands international team. The 24-year-old is tactically and physically an ideal fit for what Van Gaal needs at the base of United's midfield.
But this latest news could put more outlandish targets genuinely in play. The Red Devils have recently been linked with a £60 million bid for one-time United reserve, now Juventus mega star, Paul Pogba. That's according to Italian newspaper Corriere delloSport (h/t Manchester Evening News reporter Paul Handler).
Perhaps Van Gaal might even turn his attention toward BorussiaDortmund forward Marco Reus. The Dutch coach has loaded up on attacking options this summer, but he is still likely to admire Reus' pace, subtle movement and tactical flexibility.
Marco Reus could be back in play.
United were linked with the player back in May, per Daily Mail writer Simon Jones. Armed with a transfer kitty to put most of Europe to shame, Van Gaal may be tempted to try again.
With this much money at his disposal, Van Gaal could encourage targets to look past the fact United are not in this season's UEFAChampions League. Not participating in Europe's premier club tournament didn't seem to deter Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao.
Is United's identity broken by consistent lavish spending?
However, one of the implications of throwing money at so many star names is the inevitable erosion of a club's values. Ex-assistant Mike Phelanrecently dubbed United's identity "broken," after the sale of local lad Danny Welbeck to Arsenal, per BBC Sport reporter Gary Rose:
They have probably lost the way of Manchester United a little bit. Now, rather than produce, it may be the case where they are buying in.
Someone like a Danny Welbeck has been part of United's identity and that has been broken.
What will happen in the future now, nobody knows but that thread has been broken now.
This could be a problem for a club that's often sought pride in developing youngsters and courting homegrown talent. Core fans will have to balance that disappointment against their desire for the inevitable wave of success that usually accompanies clubs with seemingly limitless funds.
